O Project kuiper, the initiative of Amazon to compete with Starlink and OneWeb in providing Internet access on Earth via satellite is underway. The tech giant plans to launch two test satellites, Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2, early next year. The objective of these first launches is to test the technology with data obtained in Earth orbit, data that “will help finalize the design, release and operational plans for our commercial system".
Last year, Amazon had announced its intention to make these launches with rockets from a company called ABL Space Systems, forecasting them for the last quarter of this year. Now, plans have changed to the United Launch Alliance (ULA) and had to be postponed to early 2023, reports the The Verge.
The construction of the satellites is not yet finished, with Amazon saying that it will be finished before the end of the year. On the other hand, ULA's Vulcan rocket should only be completed in November and should carry out some tests in December.
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The ULA has some pressure to do two Vulcan launches by the end of next year, in order to prove that it is a reliable partner for the US Space Force. On Amazon's side, the pressure comes from the American telecommunications regulator, with the company having to place half of the satellites planned for the constellation by 2026, if it wants to maintain the license issued by the authorities. The constellation of satellites that will provide internet from Space, remember, will be made up of 3.236 pieces of equipment.
In addition to the Vulcans, the company will have rockets from Arianespace and Blue Origin itself – the company of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos –, but rival SpaceX is not on the list of partners.
